Warrior Ridge Elementary finds itself among elite company when it comes to education across the state.The building, which houses grades kindergarten to fifth grade, recently was honored as one of only 16 schools in Missouri to achieve the title of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Exemplary Schools.Only five other schools on the eastern half of the state accomplished PLC status, with the closest being Hazelwood and Mehlville.“Nationally, students in school districts that have implemented PLCs have experienced tremendous academic growth,” said Principal Dr. Bobbie Russell.The Missouri Professional Learning Communities Project began during the 2003-04 school year. Supporting, preparing and developing effective educators is one of the primary goals of Missouri’s Top 10 by 20 initiative, which calls for Missouri to rank among the top 10 states for education by 2020."Essentially, a PLC is a group of educators who are committed to working together to help each child be successful in school,” said Russell. “Teams of teachers and administrators collaborate to improve student academic performance and share successful instructional practices with one another.”To achieve PLC status, a school must go through a rigorous evaluation process, during which the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education determines whether it is meeting the standards and objectives.“They come in and do an assessment and check out all the staff, making an evaluation of your building,” said Russell. “They look at the kind of culture we are promoting and see if we are using data to improve student achievement.”The PLC schools were honored at the state conference in Osage Beach at the end of January.“We were honored to receive this award,” said Russell. “It’s a huge compliment to our staff and students and their efforts.”

Warrior Ridge Elementary was recently honored as a Missouri Exemplary Professional Learning Communities School by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Record photo/ Derrick Forsythe photo.